Shloka 2

Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa

Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island

Devanagari script

यावान्‌ भूम्यवकाशो<यं दृश्यते शशलक्षणे । तस्य प्रमाण प्रब्रूहि ततो वक्ष्यसि पिप्पलम्‌

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |

yāvān bhūmy-avakāśo 'yaṃ dṛśyate śaśa-lakṣaṇe |

tasya pramāṇaṃ prabrūhi tato vakṣyasi pippalam ||

Translation

دھرتراشٹر نے کہا—اے شش نشان والے (یعنی چاند)! زمین کے اوپر جو آسمانی وسعت نگاہ کو دکھائی دیتی ہے، اس کی مقدار بتاؤ۔ پھر اس کے بعد مجھے پیپل کے مقام کی کیفیت بیان کرو۔

Word by Word

• यावान्: as great as; as much as
• यावान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भूमि-अवकाशः: space/extent of the earth (earth-space)
• भूमि-अवकाशः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूम्यवकाश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दृश्यते: is seen; appears
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada, Passive/Reflexive (seen/appears)

• शश-लक्षणे: in/at the moon marked with a hare (hare-marked orb)
• शश-लक्षणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शशलक्षण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तस्य: of that; its
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• प्रमाणम्: measure; extent; proof
• प्रमाणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रब्रूहि: tell; declare
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then; thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• वक्ष्यसि: you will say; you will describe
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Simple Future, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पिप्पलम्: the pippala (sacred fig tree)
• पिप्पलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिप्पल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Candra (the Moon, implied by śaśa-lakṣaṇa)
• Pippala (sacred fig / pippala-place)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry (praśna) and the desire for precise knowledge (pramāṇa) before proceeding to sacred description, reflecting a classical ideal: understanding the measure and order of the world as a basis for meaningful narration about holy places and symbols.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses the Moon (identified by the hare-mark) and asks it to quantify the visible expanse above the earth; once that is explained, he requests a description of the pippala-related sacred locus.